


Learning To Believe In Love

by prideboydaniel



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Fluff, M/M, Phan - Freeform, Phan Fluff, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-01
Updated: 2018-06-01
Packaged: 2019-05-16 20:06:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14818022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prideboydaniel/pseuds/prideboydaniel
Summary: Dan doesn't believe in love, until one day he does.





	Learning To Believe In Love

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fic I've posted on here, so I hope you like it! I really appreciate feedback!! :)

Dan doesn’t believe in love. He can’t imagine what it would be like to love someone romantically, to meet “the one”, to have a soulmate, to spend the rest of his life with another person. He used to yearn for love, sure; when he was younger, in school, when everyone else had already gotten their marks and he hadn’t, he spent countless nights wishing he would just fall in love. But now that he’s 18, he’s mostly accepted the fact that love just doesn’t exist for him.

It doesn’t bother him as much anymore. He knows he isn’t completely alone. He has his family, his friends, and plenty of hobbies. Lately, he’s taken to distracting himself by watching YouTube videos, particularly ones posted by AmazingPhil.

Phil is Dan’s favorite YouTuber, not just because he’s hilarious and undeniably attractive, but because he also doesn’t have his mark. He’s open about the fact that he hasn’t met his soulmate yet, but, unlike Dan, he remains hopeful. His videos make the situation seem less bleak, so Dan is anxiously waiting for him to upload a new video.

Dan opens his laptop and checks his notifications again, the tenth time today, and, with a bright grin, clicks on Phil’s latest video. Phil rambles for a while about his encounter with a strange man at his local Starbucks who woofed directly in his ear, and jokes that he’s thankful his mark didn’t appear when the man brushed against him. Dan laughs before sighing and pausing the video, trying to fight away the thought that he’d do anything to finally have his mark, even if it was from some weird man outside an overpriced coffee shop.

When Dan first learned about marks, he had been ecstatic. He was seven years old and a girl his age, Katie, had just moved to his school. During her first day, she was playing with another girl and they both exclaimed at the same time. On Katie’s wrist was a bight red heart, and a matching heart was on the other girl’s hand. His teacher sat them all down and did her best to explain what the symbols meant.

"When you touch the person you’re meant to love for the first time,” she started, looking down at the curious children, “you’ll both get a mark that tells you that you’re soulmates. Usually you don’t meet your soulmate until you’re much older, but it seems like Katie and Melissa are just lucky.”

Katie beamed at Melissa, who had been attached to her side all day. Now they all knew why.

A boy in the front row raised his hand timidly and asked, “Miss, does this mean my soulmate is going to be a boy? Since girls have girl soulmates, do boys have boy soulmates?”

"Your soulmate can be anyone at all,” she said and smiled softly, “Gender doesn’t matter when it comes to love. Does anyone else have any questions? Don’t be afraid to speak up.”

"What if we don’t have a soulmate?” asked another boy, this time in the back.  
  


"Well, that just doesn’t happen, so you don’t need to worry about that. there’s someone out there for everyone. You’ll find your soulmate when it’s time, I promise. Now, let’s start packing up! It’s almost time to go home!”

Dan had been so excited to meet his soulmate back then. He constantly wondered what they would be like, if they would be nice, if they liked video games like he did. Then, his curiosity turned into doubt as he got older and all his friends got their marks, and then became the cynicism he possesses now. All his friends are happily in love with their soulmates, and here he is, pining over some random guy on YouTube? It’s pathetic.

Still, what else is there for him to do? It’s not like he can force someone to be his soulmate. So he keeps watching Phil’s videos, and eventually starts tweeting at him and messaging him on Tumblr. It would be nice to be friends with someone like him, he thinks, so why not give it a shot?

He doesn’t expect anything to come of his desperate attempts for attention, but he messages him anyway, on Tumblr this time.  
“Hey,” he writes, chewing nervously on a pen from off his desk as he types, “I’m a big fan of yours, and I just think it’s really cool that you’re so open about not having a mark. I don’t either, and I thought I was completely alone until I found your videos. I guess it’s just good to know I’m not the only one. Sorry to bother you! I’ll stop rambling now.” Dan almost forgets how to breathe when he sees the notification: “Message from @AmazingPhil”. He clicks on it, letting out a sigh.

“Hey! You’re not bothering me at all! I’m glad you like my content so much, and, honestly, it can be hard sometimes not having a soulmate. Not just because I worry so much about what I’m missing out on, but also just the pressure. Society puts so much emphasis on romantic love, and it gets pretty overwhelming, you know? Plus, I’m 22 years old and still single, so most people think it’s hopeless for me at this point. But I guess I’m rambling now, haha.” -AmazingPhil  
Dan can’t believe how lucky he is. Out of all Phil’s fans, he picks him to talk to? He never thought this day would come, but apparently his avid tweeting and messaging has paid off.

_Just don’t say anything stupid. Don’t make him hate you_. Dan thinks as he stares at his laptop screen. He has to restrain himself from just keysmashing in response.  
Finally, he types: “Omg you responded. Sorry, I’m just fangirling a little. I’ve been watching your videos since the very beginning. Anyway, I totally get what you mean. Everyone I know has already met their soulmate, and I’m all alone. It sucks.”

Then, something surprising happens. Phil responds. And he keeps responding. They message constantly, slipping away from the stiff, formal style they both used in the beginning, and become close friends. Of course, Dan doesn’t tell anyone in “real” life about Phil. How could he explain this? But he treasures their friendship, and he finally feels normal. Maybe even happy. He ignores the little butterflies that he gets when Phil messages him, or the big, swooping feeling in his stomach when Phil sends him a cute selfie. He’s just excited to have a friend, that’s all. it can’t be anything more. He’ll never have anything more.

One day, Dan decides to be brave. “Skype me,” he writes, “@Danisnotonfire.”.

Miraculously, Phil does, and they talk for hours. The butterflies are so much worse when he can see and hear Phil while they’re talking.

They Skype regularly after that first day, at least twice a week, usually more. Phil is officially Dan’s best friend and possibly his favorite person in the world.

Sometimes they talk about meeting in real life. Usually it’s just what ifs, but Dan’s always serious under the surface. He wonders what it would be like to live in London, so close to Phil. He is eighteen, so what’s stopping him?

It takes him a few weeks to actually tell Phil. When he finally does, they’re five hours into a Skype call on a lazy Saturday afternoon.

"Hey, Phil?” he asks, pushing his hair out of his eyes.

“Yeah?”

“I’ve been thinking about moving to London.”

“Really? That’s great!” Phil sits up straighter, his grin clearly visible even through his grainy camera lens.

“Yeah, I haven’t entirely figured it all out yet. I still need to find a place to live, and-”

“Stay with me!”

"Wait, seriously? You’d let me live with you?” Dan swears his jaw nearly hits the floor.

“Of course! I mean, you’re my best friend! I don’t know anyone else I would want to live with more!” Phil pauses, misinterpreting Dan’s shock, and he quickly adds, “But only if you want to! I don’t want you to feel like you have to.”

“No! This is amazing, Phil, really!”

Phil laughs, and Dan raises his eyebrows quizzically.

“It’s just, you said AmazingPhil.” Phil says, still giggling.

“Oh my god, you dork. What am I getting myself into?” Dan grins despite himself.

“Is that a yes, then?”

“Of course, how can I say no to you?”

After that Skype call, Dan realizes he’s a lot happier. He finally has something to look forward to. He tells his parents that he’s moving, leaving out the fact that he’ll be living with a man he met online, and starts planning. He decides to leave in October, and even though he only has two weeks left to wait, it feels like years before he’s actually getting on the train.

Finally he’s getting off the train. Right as he steps off, he hears a familiar voice calling his name, and he can’t help but run towards it.

“Phil! Can you believe I’m here?” he asks, but

Phil doesn’t respond because he’s too busy engulfing Dan in a hug.

Dan relishes the contact, hoping he isn’t blushing when they finally break apart.

“I’m so glad you came,” Phil mumbles before looking up.

“Me, too. You ready to go?”

“You wanna get Starbucks before I show you our flat? Consider it a ‘Welcome home’ treat.”

Dan grinned, nodded, and let Phil lead the way to the nearest Starbucks.

Phil orders for them as they reach the counter. “I’ll have a grande caramel macchiato, and what do you want, Dan?”

“Oh, I’ll have the same, thanks.”

“That’ll be £6.50, please,” says the teenage girl behind the counter.

Phil hands her the money and Dan gasps. As they walk to a table, Dan says, “I thought you didn’t have a mark!”

“What are you talking about?”

“On your hand, what’s that?” Dan points to a small heart on Phil’s hand.

Now it’s Phil’s turn to be shocked. “That wasn’t there earlier,” he says, realizing something, “Wait. Show me your hand.”

Dan obliges, and notices a small heart on his hand. “Oh. _Oh_.”

“So,” Phil grins, “Guess we won’t die alone after all.”

Dan nudges him as if he’s annoyed, but the broad smile on his face says otherwise.

“Two grande caramel macchiatos for Dan and Phil?”  
  


"That’s us, Dan,” Phil says, pulling Dan out of his racing thoughts.

They walk back to Phil’s flat, hand in hand, and everything feels right. It’s like he’s finally found someone who compliments his personality perfectly. His soulmate.  
Dan didn’t use to believe in love, and he definitely didn’t think he’d ever experience it. Before, he couldn’t imagine what it would be like to love someone romantically, to meet “the one”, to have a soulmate, to spend the rest of his life with another person. He used to yearn for love, but now, he doesn’t have to. He has Phil, and finally, he’s content.


End file.
